I. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed toward electrical conductive bodies and the formation thereof for use as electrical conductors, electrical connectors, electrical contacts, heat exchange surfaces, and supporting grids in various environments, including battery cells and powder compacts such as that used to form disc brake pads.
II. Description of the Prior Art
In addition to the standard metallic wire and circuit board conductors produced by chemical etching, there are many forms of electrical conductive bodies. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,195 entitled "Methods and Articles for Making Electrical Circuit Connections Employing Composition Material," the inventor of the subject application discloses use of solder-coated copper powder to establish a conductive body within a printed circuit board.
Other forms of electrically conductive bodies include that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,629 issued to Rask, wherein a woven conductor is disclosed in which wires at nodal points may be connected by soldering or welding. U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,666 issued to Doundoulakis et al. discloses a woven circuit device in which wires may be welded or soldered at cross-over points. U.S. Pat. No. 3,631,298 issued to Davis discloses connections at cross-over points being accomplished by a dip solder method, by immersion in hot fat dip, or by inductive heating of the conductors. U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,627 issued to Maringulov discloses use of solder connections at contact points. Moreover, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,474,297 issued to Bylander and 4,158,103 issued to Danilin et al. show various types of conductive matrices, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,249,686 issued to Paar, 4,154,429 issued to Brannan, and 4,154,430 issued to Pfarr Jr., disclose use of criss-crossing conductors in a wire netting.
In spite of the wide variety of known electrical conductive bodies and methods of making same, there exist some universal disadvantages. For example, whenever welding is utilized to form a conductive body, the metals involved need to be heated to excessive temperatures thereby imparting potential stress upon the substrate metal. Moreover, the heat typically needs to be applied one location at a time preventing application to large areas at a time by unsupervised operation. Welding also can burn out thin wires or metal sheets. The use of spot soldering or dip soldering involves the same disadvantages.
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a new form of electrically conductive body and method of making same which body may be easily and effectively formed without imparting thermal or mechanical stress at joint sites.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new form of electrically conductive body and method for making same which body may be made basically unsupervised in a manner compatible with large scale commercial operation.
More specific objects of the present invention include providing an improved conductor material; providing an improved form of conductor; providing an improved form of contact; providing a new form of conductive material which has utility as a heat exchange surface; providing a new form of conductive material which has utility in connection with liquid-vapor phase changing; providing a new form of conductive material which has utility as a supporting and conducting grid within an electronic cell; providing a new form of electrically conductive material which has utility as a supporting grid to increase the green strength of a compact before heat consolidation of that compact.
In short, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a new form of electrically conductive body and method of making same.
Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.